A group of women are suing Maybelline for false claims regarding the long-lasting effects of two of their lip products. The women are claiming that the brand’s Super Stay 10HR Stain Gloss and Super Stay 14 HR Lipstick do not fulfill their claims and are thus “misleading, inaccurate and deceptive” according to the Wall Street Journal Law Blog.
The lawsuit claims that “Maybelline overstates and misrepresents the staying power of its Super Stay products as a means to induce consumers to purchase the product.” The women are hoping to seek damages for violated consumer protection laws in Michigan and New Jersey, in addition to New York (where the suit was filed). On one hand, we understand the women being upset when a product doesn’t do what it says it will — we’ve all been there. Purchasing a long-lasting product to only have it come off mere hours later is disappointing, or even worse, a frizz-fighting product that only increases our frizz. And then of course you have to take into account the commercials and advertisement images that convince us that the glossy lips that we see biting into endless pieces of food and drinking from countless glasses — yet somehow maintaining their color — are what the product will deliver in real life.
But, on the other hand, we have to ask ourselves — is suing over dissatisfaction of a beauty product (which ultimately costs about $9) really practical? Let us know in the comments below!
[Image via Istock]
You can return Maybelline products at the drugstore even after using….these people are really pushing it. Perhaps the product doesnt work for them but these products do go through rigorous testing to get these claims. Especially at a large company like Maybelline….What a stretch, the images do make me want to try the product and I will indeed return it if im not satisfied, end of story.
Uhm….they’re definitely going to spend more in suing the company than they spent on the product. I wonder what they’re claiming for damages? The only scenario I can think of is if they used the products for a fashion show or other event where they were relying on Maybelline’s claim of the long-lasting formula and somehow the alleged failure of the product to live up to the claim and somehow cost them money (e.g., lost a potential client, ruined pictures taken for purposes of selling something, etc.). I dunno. That’s all I got. /lawyer
I’m pretty much against suing for anything like this really, but I gotta admit, false advertising IS ILLEGAL and Maybelline is just setting it self up for this kind of thing. Break the law and ou might get punished… is anyone really surprised?
They aren’t suing over a $9 product, this is just a means of combating the BIGGER PICTURE, which is that we’ve allowed cosmetics companies to get away with making miraculous, completely false and unfounded statements without a word.
So why don’t we allow the same false advertising for other industries? If a car company were to say they have a new “SuperLast 10year Model” that stays in perfect condition for 10 years, people would get pissed when, 3 years after purchase, they have to go in to replace parts and get mechanical work on it.
A 10 hour promise may not lure critical thinkers in, but I know that as a 13 year girl I would buy into all these promises and blow all my allowance on these “miracle beauty makers.” Cosmetic companies make a lot of money off of ignorance and desperate hope. It’s not right.
So I’m glad someone is finally challenging them.
Well said Emma! That’s correct. The product is only $9 but think about every woman/girl who purchased the product with the idea that it would last longer than the lipstick they already had in their purses. After a while $9 turns into $9 million based on a lie.Which means the company wins. It’s illegal and not right. Make big companies be responsible for their actions. Look at what happen with dannon’s activia yogurt.